DRESDEN, ON — Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Dresden Raceway on Monday as a highlight of the Dresden-Chatham Daily News Day at the Races. In addition to catching some of the province’s top two-year-old trotting fillies in four $22,321 Grassroots divisions, fans will have an opportunity to win a total of $5,000 in Cash Prizes, and to drop their ballot in the Ontario Harness Horse Association’s Ford Ranger Edge Pick-up draw.
Among the fillies Dresden fans can root for on Monday is Wrap the Rascal, owned and trained by Roger Burtnyk of Bothwell. The Armbro Kelvin daughter will make her second Grassroots start from Post 4 in the eighth race and will be looking for a top five finish in an effort to earn points toward the season ending Grassroots Semifinal.
Wrap The Rascal faces a field of seven other fillies all eager to move up the point standings and grab a share of the $22,621 purse.
One filly poised to make a significant jump up the point standings is Designable, who will start from Post 5 in the tenth race on the 1 pm program. With all three winners from the July 4 event giving the second Grassroots a pass, Designable could move from a three-way tie for third to a spot among the leaders.
Designable heads into the Dresden contest off a solid outing in the Trillium Series at Hanover Raceway on July 20 where she finished fourth to current Gold Series champion Independent Woman. The Earl daughter posted a third-place finish in the Grassroots season opener on July 4 and was fourth in the first Trillium event of the year on June 29.
“She raced really well up in Hanover,” says Terence Adamson, who shares ownership on Designable with trainer-driver Wayne Langille of Harley, James Barton of Branchton and Jeff Adamson of Brantford, “And it seems like all the good ones from the Trillium have gone to the Gold, so hopefully it will be a good day for us.”
Although the winner of $6,675 will have to overcome Post 5 to bring home her first Grassroots trophy, Adamson does not see that as a major hurdle for Designable and Langille.
“Out of the three races that she’s he’s had, she has had the seven-hole twice,” he notes. “She can leave if she wants to and she seems pretty steady — knock on wood.”
The only thing that could keep Designable from making a leap up the Grassroots point standings is a cough that Adamson detected just before the post position draw on Wednesday morning. If it develops into anything more serious Designable will have to wait another two weeks before attempting to score her first victory.
However, with the depth of talent in the Ontario Sires Stakes program, there will be no shortage of fillies ready and willing to replace Designable as the favourite.
In addition to Races 8 and 10, the two-year-old trotting fillies are featured in Races 6 and 12 on Dresden Raceway’s Civic Holiday Monday program. The outstanding Ontario Sires Stakes action, cash draws and many other fun-filled activities for the whole family get rolling at 1 pm.